TALES FROM THE OLD KAROO

Guy Butler Loot.co.za (R160) AD JONKER

GUY Butler was a revered South African poet, academic and writer. For many years he headed the English Department at Rhodes University. Both the main theatre at the 1820 Settlers National Monument and a University residence bear his name.

As part of the celebration of the centenary of the author’s birth, his Tales From the Old Karoo has been newly packaged and designed to appeal to a modern audience.

The book’s 15 short stories are set in the Karoo of long ago, one of horse-drawn carriages, steam trains and story-telling.

An era which Butler described in 1989 as being when “Karoo towns were racially easy-going places without buffer strips and barbed-wire fences patrolled by conscript-filled Casspirs”.

I share these scene-setting lines from his short story Water Diviners:

“It was one of those bad times when a big drought and a world depression all came together, like now.

“There was little to do on the farms because most of the stock was dead and the soil was too dry and hard to plant anything…”

These lines from Butler describe the Karoo special appeal for me, its restful contrast with city life: “All through the long, hot hours of waiting for something to happen.”

Bliss. Tales From the Old Karoo is a delightful melange of colourful stories. I wonder if they were ever dramatised for radio? They would fit that medium very well.

Although these stories are set in an era long gone, much of today’s Karoo retains that unspoilt charm, and Butler’s story-telling and consummate writing skills take one right there. He has depicted both its people and the landscape in vivid “full colour”.

Guy Butler’s characteristic gentle humour, wonderful tales and characters and eloquent storytelling make Tales From the Old Karoo a glorious and appealing read. |